The SEC cleaned up on National Signing Day, as it does every year, producing five of the top nine recruiting classes in the country according to the composite rankings at 247Sports.

Alabama, of course, closed with a vengeance to finish No. 1, inking myriad four- and five-star prospects Wednesday that hadn’t been verbally committed — at least publicly — to any program. Vanderbilt, which has some of the most strict admission standards at the FBS level, came in last in the conference at 54th but still managed to outpace more than a dozen fellow Power 5 institutions across the country.

The 14 SEC schools had an average ranking of 21st, which is better than a Michigan State team (22nd) that is coming off a Big Ten championship and an appearance in the College Football Playoff.

However, the SEC didn’t get its hands on every blue-chip recruit — 42 of the top 100, though — despite how it may have looked during ESPN’s wall-to-wall coverage of signing day. Several high-priority targets went elsewhere, including a handful of elite players who previously were committed within the league but flipped to other destinations.

Here are 10 signees in particular who said no to the best conference in America for one reason or another, and their absences may be felt before it’s all said and done.

Landon Dickerson

A four-star recruit from Hudson (N.C.) South Caldwell High School, Dickerson was the No. 4 offensive tackle available, No. 2 player in the state of North Carolina and No. 31 prospect nationally.

The 6-foot-5, 300-pounder took official visits to Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Tennessee, but he signed with Florida State of the ACC.

“It was a hard decision for me between FSU and Tennessee,” Dickerson told Chris Nee of 247Sports. “The FSU staff, in the end, had me pick the Seminoles. Tennessee would’ve been my pick six months ago. If Alabama recruited me like they did the last two weeks the whole time, I’m positive I would’ve chosen them.”

While the Volunteers signed three offensive tackles Wednesday, Marcus Tatum and Nathan Niehaus were only three-star recruits. The third, four-star signee Ryan Johnson, was ranked 25th at his position — 21 spots below Dickerson.

Alabama already has Jonah Williams and Charles Baldwin on campus as early enrollees. Williams was the No. 2 offensive tackle on the board. Baldwin was the No. 1 JUCO prospect at the position.

Brandon Jones

A four-star recruit from Nacogdoches (Texas) High School, Jones was the No. 1 safety available, No. 6 player in the state of Texas and No. 40 prospect nationally.

The 6-foot, 193-pounder took official visits to Arkansas and Texas A&M, but he pledged his allegiance to Texas.

“They’ve been there with me from the get-go and just really straight-up forward and really honest about everything,” Jones said after making his announcement live on ESPNU. “They’ve just been there for me and my family. They’re not just worried about football. They want to make me a better man.”

The Razorbacks got John Hancocks from two safeties in this cycle, but Deon Edwards and Micahh Smith are both three-star players — not nearly in the same class as Jones.

The same can be said of the Aggies, whose lone safety acquisition was Ikenna Okeke. He’s a three-star prospect ranked 27th at the position and 435th overall.

Trayvon Mullen

A four-star recruit from Pompano Beach (Fla.) Coconut Creek High School, Mullen was the No. 6 cornerback available, No. 10 player in the state of Florida and No. 60 prospect nationally.

The 6-foot-1, 168-pounder took an official visit to LSU, which was considered the front-runner to reel him in. He caught a lot of prognosticators off guard when he reached into his bag and pulled out a Clemson hat.

“My heart was with Clemson,” Mullen said according to Cory Fravel of 247Sports. “They made me feel at home.”

Fortunately, LSU already had a four-star corner as an early enrollee in Saivion Smith — he’s actually ranked one spot higher than Mullen at the position. Even better, the No. 2 corner on the market, Kristian Fulton, also signed and will be in Baton Rouge this summer.

Nevertheless, it was a surprising swing and miss for coach Les Miles, who was left at the altar more than once Wednesday and saw his final class ranking slide out of the top spot as a result.

Shavar Manuel

A four-star recruit from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, Manuel was the No. 9 defensive tackle available, No. 11 player in the state of Florida and No. 67 prospect nationally.

The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder took official visits to Florida and LSU. As a matter of fact, up until signing day, the Gators considered him a firm commitment. However, he turned down Gainesville in favor of Tallahassee when he chose Florida State.

“Shavar had told me the night before, ‘I’m a Seminole,’ and then he committed to Florida,” said FSU defensive ends coach Brad Lawing according to Brendan Sonnone of the Orlando Sentinel. “I called him up, asked what’s going on, and he said, ‘I’m just getting some pressure from people.’ So he didn’t just flip (Wednesday). We’ve known about this for about two weeks.”

Even though UF signed three defensive ends, including a pair of four-star talents in Jordan Smith and Antonneous Clayton, no D-tackles were part of the class. Smith and Clayton are listed at 220 and 218 pounds, respectively, so don’t expect either to bulk up and eventually move inside.

Worst of all, it appears that coach Jim McElwain and Co. let their most hated in-state rival pull a fast one on them.

Erick Fowler

A four-star recruit from Manor (Texas) High School, Fowler was the No. 7 outside linebacker available, No. 12 player in the state of Texas and No. 75 prospect nationally.

The 6-foot-1, 226-pounder took an official visit to LSU and had been a solid commitment to the Tigers since June. But no program closed stronger on signing day than Texas, which flipped Fowler with almost no time left on the clock.

“Fowler received heavy attention from Texas coach Charlie Strong and the Longhorns of late,” wrote David Ching of ESPN. “He officially visited Texas two weekends ago and accepted an in-home visit from Strong. Sure enough, when he and several Manor High School teammates announced their college decisions Wednesday, Fowler invited his family on stage and donned a Texas cap, officially confirming that he would stay home and play for the Longhorns.”

The Bayou Bengals already have four-star signee Michael Divinity on campus. The early enrollee is a mighty fine outside linebacker in his own right — No. 5 at the position. Still, he is the only linebacker in the class, outside or inside.

Fowler and Divinity together would have been quite the one-two punch.

E.J. Price

A four-star recruit from Lawrenceville (Ga.) Archer High School, Price was the No. 8 offensive tackle available, No. 10 player in the state of Georgia and No. 84 prospect nationally.

The 6-foot-6, 311-pounder took official visits to Auburn, Georgia and LSU, but he will instead make his way out west to USC — he reportedly didn’t make up his mind until Wednesday morning. The Bulldogs had been considered the favorites.

“I woke up and felt like a Trojan,” Price said according to Kipp Adams of 247Sports. “It was a very close decision. (Georgia offensive line coach Sam) Pittman and (offensive coordinator Jim) Chaney are great guys, and our personalities fit. I definitely built a great relationship with them on my official visit. But coaches come and go, and I just though overall USC was a better fit for me. My mom loved my decision, and she wanted me to go there.”

UGA has an early enrollee at offensive tackle in Ben Cleveland, a four-star recruit ranked only one spot behind Price at the position. Two more got added to the mix Wednesday, although Chris Barnes and Solomon Kindley were just three-star prospects.

New ‘Dogs coach Kirby Smart deserves a lot of credit for landing the No. 7 class in the country in Year 1, although letting an elite home-state product go across the country is tough to swallow.

Dontavious Jackson

A four-star recruit from Houston (Texas) Alief Elsik High School, Jackson was the No. 4 inside linebacker available, No. 13 player in the state of Texas and No. 89 prospect nationally.

The 6-foot-2, 239-pounder took official visits to Alabama and Florida, but he opted for Florida State and augmented an impressive haul for the Seminoles.

“The coaching staff made me really comfortable,” Jackson said in front of a live television audience on ESPNU. “I feel like I have an opportunity to come in and make my impact and build my brand. This class that we’re building is going to be great. Big things are coming for Florida State.”

The Crimson Tide aren’t necessarily going to suffer, as they did secure the nation’s No. 1 inside linebacker recruit in Ben Davis. He’s the premier player this cycle — regardless of position — in the football-rich state of Alabama.

The Gators, on the other hand, were only able to add David Reese, a three-star signee from the Wolverine State who didn’t take an official visit to Michigan and wasn’t even offered by Michigan State.

Jauan Williams

A four-star recruit from Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll High School, Williams was the No. 15 offensive tackle available, No. 3 player in the District of Columbia and No. 164 prospect nationally.

The 6-foot-7, 303-pounder took official visits to Georgia, LSU and Texas A&M, but he echoed what a lot of other top-tier kids did on signing day by choosing coach Jimbo Fisher and Florida State.

“(Offensive line coach Rick) Trickett and Coach Jimbo have been constant with me,” Williams told Chris Nee of 247Sports. “They have a plan for me. They have worked with me. Everybody else has been switching, and they have been the same the whole time.”

As mentioned above, Georgia let another four-star offensive tackle slip away when Price chose USC. While Williams would have been a commendable consolation prize, he also said no to the Bulldogs.

LSU collected two offensive tackles Wednesday, Willie Allen and Jakori Savage, although both are rated behind Williams. Savage, as a matter of fact, is 90th in the country at his position.

Karamo Dioubate

A four-star recruit from Philadelphia (Pa.) Prep Charter, Dioubate was the No. 18 defensive tackle available, No. 5 player in the state of Pennsylvania and No. 166 prospect nationally.

The 6-foot-3, 279-pounder took official visits to Auburn and South Carolina, but he was one of a few blue-chippers that landed outside the Power 5 conferences when he decided on hometown Temple.

“He is one of the best players in the nation who had a chance to go anywhere, and he wanted to come here,” said Temple coach Matt Rhule according to Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Gamecocks got their numbers up by signing eight D-linemen in this class, although only one is considered a potential difference maker right away: four-star tackle Stephon Taylor. Six are three-star recruits, while Griffin Gentry is a two-star end ranked No. 91 in the Palmetto State alone.

After the ink was dry on his letter of intent, Dioubate admitted that even Alabama made a run at him late in the process.

Bradlee Anae

A three-star recruit from Kahuku (Hawaii) High School, Anae was the No. 68 defensive end available, No. 12 player in the state of Hawaii and No. 1,371 prospect nationally.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder took an official visit to Vanderbilt. It was the only OV he took, actually. Seemingly a lock for the Commodores, his paperwork showed up at Utah.

“Anae will be joining his sister, Adora Anae, who is a sophomore on the Utah volleyball team and was first-team All-Pac 12,” wrote Alex Stark of SB Nation.

Although Anae isn’t graded as highly as the other signees highlighted above, it goes to show just how much of an uphill climb a program like Vandy has on the road to relevancy in the SEC — even in the inferior East Division. He was considered a key uncommitted target for the ‘Dores on signing day.

Aside from Vanderbilt and Utah, Anae’s only other mainland offer came from BYU.